The Impact Agenda

In this episode, we’re joined by Summer Shaw, founder and CEO of an early-stage stealth startup and founder of Attian AI, an AI strategy consultancy that has advised 100+ companies. She is also a researcher at Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab, where she works on secure and trustworthy AI agents, and sits on the State Bar of Texas Committee for Emerging Technologies.

Summer’s path runs from McKinsey and Alphabet’s moonshot factory X to helping lead Missouri’s state workforce and COVID response, followed by a JD and MBA at Stanford as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. We dive into what she learned managing 50,000+ state employees, what 100+ AI engagements reveal about where companies struggle, what “trustworthy” really requires as AI agents take on more tasks, and how regulated professions like law can adopt AI safely.

Whether you’re curious about AI strategy, weighing a career path with many twists and turns, or wondering what makes AI agents secure, this episode offers an inside look at a founder and researcher working at the intersection of technology, law, and public service.

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In this episode, we’re joined by Minette Norman, award-winning author, speaker, and leadership consultant. Minette spent decades leading global technical teams in Silicon Valley, most recently as VP of Engineering Practice at Autodesk, where she influenced 3,000+ engineers. She didn’t start as an engineer: she holds degrees in Drama and French. She is the author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader, co-author of the Psychological Safety Playbook series, and has been named one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.”

We dive into her unconventional path from the arts into engineering leadership, and what it took to leave a corporate role and build her own practice. Minette shares why psychological safety and inclusive leadership are business fundamentals rather than “nice to haves,” the patterns she sees in struggling teams, and the first thing she tells leaders to do about it. We also talk about her philosophy on networking and mentorship, advice for early-career listeners from non-traditional backgrounds, and why showing up for your community through volunteering matters.

Whether you’re building your career, leading a team, or wondering how to make your workplace more inclusive, this episode offers an inside look at leading with courage and generosity.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kat Erickson, strategist and author of Tech Confidential, who spent more than 8 years across various roles at DataStax. A software engineer by training, with a BS from the University of Southern Mississippi and an MS in security informatics from Johns Hopkins University, Kat has spent decades driving growth and innovation across tech startups and established organizations, leading strategy pivots, securing funding, guiding acquisitions, and facilitating cultural transformations.

We dive into her path through DataStax and the moment that inspired Tech Confidential, why she calls the tech industry a modern-day “Colosseum,” and how to tell healthy ambition apart from the hustle culture that leads to burnout. We also explore the role of ego in tech leadership, how to manage brilliant but difficult personalities, the realities of startup funding and boardroom politics, and how founders can use data to build and differentiate their products in the age of AI.

Whether you’re a founder in the thick of a launch, a leader navigating ego and culture, or a tech worker wondering how to build a career without burning out, this episode offers an honest, inside look at what it takes to lead in tech.

In this episode, we’re joined by Kaye Vitug, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Unlocking Eve and former SVP and CFO of Roche Diagnostics. A mathematician by training, Kaye spent 20 years at Roche across the US, UK, South Korea, and Switzerland, ultimately leading a 350-person team. She now serves on several boards, including the Lumina Foundation and its $1.5B endowment focused on expanding education beyond high school.

We dive into her story of navigating a male-dominated industry, why she stayed two decades and how she decided to leave, and the “Integrated Leadership” model behind Unlocking Eve, which has been presented at the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. We also explore the future of education, rising college costs, and what AI means for tomorrow’s workforce.

Whether you’re curious about leadership, passionate about healthcare and education, or wondering how to build a career with impact, this episode offers an inside look at Kaye’s leadership at the intersection of finance, healthcare, and education.

In this episode, we're joined by Cate Luzio, Founder and CEO of Luminary, a global professional development and high-touch networking platform dedicated to uplifting and upskilling women and allies throughout their careers. Before launching Luminary in 2018, Cate spent 15 years in senior leadership roles in financial services, most recently as Global Head of Multinational Corporate Banking at HSBC and previously as a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan. 

We dive into how Cate leads a team of 25 and has grown Luminary through partnerships with major companies and through acquisitions, including The Cru in 2023 and HeyMama, a membership-based community of entrepreneurial and working moms. Cate walks us through everything the platform offers, from 20+ events a month to peer coaching, how she built credibility to land corporate partnerships, and how she keeps a global community feeling local and supportive. We also explore the story behind the Glass Ceiling Rooftop, how she measures the return on community, and where she sees Luminary heading in the next five years.

Whether you're an early-career listener navigating a traditional industry like finance or tech, curious about building a community-driven business, or wondering how to find the right network for your career stage, this episode offers an inside look at a standout woman building the future of professional networking.

In this episode, we're joined by May Chen-Contino, CEO, and Allison Nixon, Chief Research Officer, of Unit 221B, a women-led threat disruption company delivering actionable intelligence and cybersecurity solutions to enterprises, law enforcement, and government agencies. May has spent her career in cybersecurity and tech at Fortune 500 and VC-backed companies including eBay, PayPal, and Forter. Allison is a renowned investigator known for her original research on DDoS attribution, cybercrime attribution, and criminal communities.

Together, they lead a team of ~30 that works with the top 10 banks, more than 50 of the Fortune 500, the DoD, and federal law enforcement. We dive into how Unit 221B grew from a boutique, services-only firm into a startup-style team with its own technology. May and Allison walk us through how they solve cybercrimes from start to finish, including the case of ShinyHunters. We also explore the profiles of the criminals behind these attacks and how many of the same actors target young women. 

Whether you're curious about cybersecurity, passionate about tech for social good, or wondering how today's biggest hacks actually get solved, this episode offers an inside look at the standout women fighting cybercrime.

In this episode, we sit down with Jodi Linker, the first woman to lead the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of California—one of the most storied defender offices in the country. With nearly two decades of experience and a team of over 70 attorneys, Jodi represents people who can’t afford legal counsel in federal court, taking on cases that span drug offenses, immigration, fraud, firearms, and more. She shares how her office navigates the unique challenges of San Francisco, a city grappling with homelessness, inequality, and shifting political winds.

We explore the ethics of defense work, what it means to lead with integrity in a high-pressure system, and the limits—and possibilities—of individual advocacy within a deeply flawed structure. Jodi reflects on moments with clients that have reshaped her understanding of justice, and speaks candidly about the future of federal public defense, structural reform, and what it truly means to give back. Whether you're in the legal field or just curious about the intersection of justice, leadership, and impact, this episode offers a powerful look at what it means to fight for fairness when the odds are stacked.

In this episode, we’re joined by Akshaya Dinesh, a self-taught engineer, Thiel Fellow, and two-time exited founder now exploring AI as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Bain Capital Ventures. After dropping out of Stanford, Akshaya went on to found Nova, a Gen Z professional network, and Spellbound, a no-code platform for interactive email experiences—both of which were successfully acquired. She shares the inflection points that shaped her journey, from coding through 45+ hackathons to teaching over 600 girls through Girls Make Apps.

We dive into her current obsession with consumer health, her work on a new companion app for women with PCOS, and what excites her most about the intersection of healthcare and AI. Akshaya also reflects on her experience as a scout and angel investor, how young founders should evaluate fellowships and accelerators, and why being in San Francisco still fuels her creativity. Whether you’re just starting out or already building, this episode offers an energizing look into what it means to create with intention—and keep evolving with curiosity.

In this episode, we’re joined by Steven Kelts, a lecturer at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Computer Science, where he leads the university’s groundbreaking “Integrated Ethics” program. With a background that spans academia, nonprofit leadership, and tech industry advising, Steven’s work focuses on preparing the next generation of technologists to anticipate the real-world impact of their innovations—and to lead with responsibility and care.

We explore the origins of his popular Tech Ethics course, the development of his Agile Ethics framework, and why grounding all students—not just those in STEM—in ethical thinking is more urgent than ever. Steven shares insights on the most pressing dilemmas in AI and emerging technologies, the policy shifts needed to keep pace with innovation, and why students themselves give him hope. Whether you're a technologist, policymaker, or simply tech-curious, this is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring conversation on how we can shape a more ethical future for technology—and for ourselves.